Biomedical subjects

K Nishimura

Publications and source records attributed to K Nishimura.

At least 595 records · Page 33Linked to original sources

PubMed1993

Portal vein calcification: a clinical review of the last 50 years and report of a case associated with dysplasminogenemia.

We report herein a case of a 68-year-old Japanese woman in whom calcification of the portal vein was recognized by plain abdominal X-ray radiograph and computed tomography (CT) scan when she presented with repeated thrombosis of the portal system. Following emergency small bowel resection for intestinal necrosis caused by superior mesenteric vein thrombosis, hematological studies revealed the association of dysplasminogenemia. A review of 21 cases of portal vein calcification reported between 1940 and 1990 revealed the average age to be 53.7 +/- 10.2 years and the male/female ratio 17:4. Although the majority of cases suffered from portal hypertension (81%), only 38% had any evidence of liver cirrhosis, while 52% had normal liver function, being comparable to idiopathic portal hypertension. The calcified lesions were located in the portal vein in 100% of cases, the splenic vein in 62%, the superior mesenteric vein in 33%, and the inferior mesenteric vein in 0%. The precise etiology of the calcification was not elucidated in any of the reviewed cases. The patient reported herein is the first reported case of portal vein calcification due to repeated thrombosis of the portal system caused by dysplasminogenemia, which could be accounted as a cause of idiopathic portal hypertension.

Aged↗

PubMed1993

The isolation of Cryptococcus neoformans from pigeon droppings and serotyping of naturally and clinically sourced isolates in China.

This is the first report on the isolation of Cryptococcus neoformans from pigeon droppings in China and their serotypes. C. neoformans colonies which produced brown colonies on caffeic acid-cornmeal agar were found in Twenty-five out of thirty-six samples of pigeon droppings. Fifty-one colonies randomly picked from the positive samples were identified as C. neoformans by a commercially available kit for carbon source assimilation test and Christensen's urea agar. Forty (78%) out of the 51 strains were serotyped as A and 11 (22%) as AD. At the same time, seventeen out of nineteen clinical isolates were serotyped as A and 2 as B. There are three findings in our results. One is that only C. neoformans var. neoformans strains could be isolated from pigeon droppings, although the variety gattii strains were found in the clinical isolates obtained in the same geographic site in China. The second is that serotype A strains were most frequently seen in natural and clinical materials in the southeast part of China, and serotype AD strains were isolated in pigeon droppings but not in clinical materials. The third is that the coexistence of serotype A and AD cells of C. neoformans strains in same samples of pigeon droppings were observed.

Animals↗

PubMed1993

Mitochondrial DNA analysis of Exophiala moniliae.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis with restriction enzymes, Hae III, Hind III and Msp I was performed in 17 Exophiala moniliae strains. The results were as follows: (1) E. moniliae could be classified into 10 types based on restriction patterns, (2) E. moniliae is suggested to be a complex organism because of extensive mtDNA polymorphism among strains like E. jeanselmei and (3) two types of E. moniliae are identical with two types of E. jeanselmei. These results suggest that E. moniliae is not genetically defined from E. jeanselmei and the taxonomical status of E. moniliae requires reevaluation.

DNA Restriction Enzymes↗

PubMed1993

Molecular epidemiology of Cladosporium carrionii.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) diversity was investigated in 38 isolants of Cladosporium carrionii in Africa (3 isolants), Australia (10), China (15) and Venezuela (10). C. carrionii was classified into 4 mtDNA types (Type I to Type IV) based on the restriction patterns with MspI, Sau3AI and HaeIII. All the 15 strains in China and 9 of 10 strains in Venezuela showed Type I, while all the 10 strains in Australia showed Type II. These results suggested a correlation between the mtDNA types and geographic origin.

Africa↗

PubMed1993

A comparative study of four different staining methods for estimation of live yeast form cells of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis.

A comparative study of four different staining methods for estimation of live yeast form cells of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis was carried out. The staining methods used were fluorescent staining, vital dye exclusion tests with erythrosin B and by Janus green and lactophenol cotton blue staining. Colony forming units (cfu) of the yeast form of eight P. brasiliensis isolates on brain heart infusion agar (BHIA) supplemented with 4% horse serum plus 5% P. brasiliensis cell extract (BHIA + HS + EXT) were examined for reliability of staining in determining the number of live fungal units in eight different isolates. Cfu on BHIA + HS + EXT plates showed an excellent plating efficiency over 96% in all isolates tested. The percentage of the live cells indicated by fluorescent staining (FL) or vital dye exclusion test with erythrosin B (EB) or Janus green (JG-1) was lower than that of cfu. By contrast, the percentage due to modified dye exclusion test with Janus green (JG-2) and that due to lactophenol cotton blue staining (LPCB) showed a close correration to that of cfu. Our results indicate that the modified dye exclusion test with Janus green and lactophenol cotton blue staining are useful for estimating cell viability of yeast form cells of P. brasiliensis.

Azo Compounds↗

PubMed1993

Endocrine and hemodynamic changes during liver surgery in patients with compensated liver cirrhosis.

The purpose of this study was to determine hormonal levels in compensated liver cirrhotic patients under general anesthesia before and after liver surgery. We measured plasma norepinephrine, epinephrine, arginine vasopressin, and aldosterone levels and renin activity in non-cirrhotic and compensated cirrhotic patients undergoing liver resection after induction of anesthesia but before skin incision and after the end of operation but before discontinuation of nitrous oxide. We simultaneously measured hemodynamic variables. Plasma levels of norepinephrine (P < 0.001), epinephrine (P < 0.001), arginine vasopressin (P < 0.05), renin (P < 0.05) and aldosterone (P < 0.001) significantly increased after completion of surgery compared with those before incision in both groups. There was a significant positive correlation between plasma renin and aldosterone (r = 0.56, P < 0.01) levels in non-cirrhotics, but no correlation was observed in cirrhotics; and there was a significant positive correlation between plasma norepinephrine and arginine vasopressin (r = 0.45, P < 0.05) levels in non-cirrhotics, but no correlation in cirrhotics. Cardiac index and arterial pressure increased after the end of operation (P < 0.05). This increase after the operation was the same between cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic groups. There were no changes in heart rate, mean pulmonary arterial pressure, and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure after the end of operation. We conclude that hemodynamic and endocrinological changes were similar between compensated cirrhotic patients and non-cirrhotic patients during liver surgery. Endocrine changes might partly explain the hemodynamic changes during surgery.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1993

Histological changes in bovine endometrium during the estrous cycle.

Endometrial biopsy specimens were obtained from 46 normally cyclic heifers at known stages of their estrous period to show precise characteristic changes. These tissues were embedded in paraffin, sectioned, and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. The following histological changes were observed during the estrous cycle. Metrorrhagia was observed on Days 0 to 1 (estrus = Day 0). Mitoses in glandular epithelium occurred on Day 5. Basal vacuolation in the surface epithelium occurred on Days 5 to 6. Leukocyte invaded the functional layer on Day 7. Stromal mitoses were observed on Days 9 to 12. The results indicate that clincians need to be aware that histological evaluation is important for the diagnosis of endometrial function and that biopsy is useful for this purpose.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1993

The old-age security hypothesis revisited.

"Children's altruism toward parents is allowed in a two-overlapping-generations model with endogenous fertility. Parents raise children because, when retired, they expect gifts from their children who are essentially a capital good. Individuals' behavior between generations is examined by analyzing a Nash equilibrium, which is then compared with a social planner's optimal allocation. The pay-as-you-go public pension program is viewed as the optimal gifts from the optimal allocation when the latter is implemented. The effect on fertility of the introduction of a capital market is also analyzed. The validity of the old-age security hypothesis is shown to depend on the parameters of utility and cost functions."

Behavior↗

PubMed1993

Skin barrier defect in atopic dermatitis: increased permeability of the stratum corneum using dimethyl sulfoxide and theophylline.

The existence of a defect in the skin barrier of patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) was demonstrated and its importance in the pathogenesis of AD was emphasized. In order to evaluate the penetration properties of the stratum corneum of AD patients, the in vivo skin response to the penetration of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and in vitro response to the penetration of theophylline utilizing a diffusion chamber were studied. Both methods demonstrated an increasing level of penetration through the epidermal stratum corneum, with greatest penetration being evident with lesional skin, followed by AD non-lesional and then the normal control. However, statistical significances existed only between non-lesional and lesional skins in the case of the DMSO test, and between the normal control and non-lesional skin in the case of the diffusion chamber analysis using theophylline. Increased penetration of a non-specific nature is important in the pathogenesis of AD.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1993

Ureteropelvic junction obstruction with renal pelvic calcification: a case report.

Calcification in the wall of the renal pelvis is rare. We report on a 65-year-old man with hydronephrosis secondary to ureteropelvic junction obstruction with renal pelvic calcification. Calcium deposit was found in the wall of the severely dilated renal pelvis. Pathological examination revealed a damaged and hyalinized fibrous renal pelvic wall and serum calcium level was normal. Thus, we speculated that this calcification was dystrophic. Chronic extensive dilatation with intermittent hemorrhage of the renal pelvic wall may have caused this dystrophic renal pelvic calcification.

Aged↗

PubMed1993

An improved culture medium for detecting live yeast phase cells of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis.

The plating efficiency of standard mycological media such as brain heart infusion (BHI) agar is poor for Paracoccidioides brasiliensis. We prepared a water-extract of yeast phase cells of P. brasiliensis and examined it for growth-enhancing activity for the fungus. The water-extract, when added to BHI agar to a concentration of 5%, improved the plating efficiency of the medium for the fungus to some extent, but the degree of improvement was considerably varied among P. brasiliensis isolates. By contrast, when the water-extract was added in combination with horse serum (4%), the plating efficiency was highly improved (to 94-99%) for all the P. brasiliensis isolates employed. The growth-enhancing factor(s) in the water-extract was heat-stable and heating at 120 degrees C for 15 min had little, if any, effect on growth-enhancing activity.

Culture Media↗

PubMed1993

Effects of calcium ions on the malate-aspartate shuttle in slow-cooled boar spermatozoa.

The effects of intracellular free calcium (Ca2+) ions on the malate-aspartate shuttle were studied in slow-cooled boar spermatozoa. The capacity of the malate-aspartate shuttle was assessed by an indirect method on the basis of accumulation of lactate relative to pyruvate when ethanol is provided as substrate. The capacity of the malate-aspartate shuttle at 37 degrees C was dependent on the presence of Ca2+ ions and was stimulated by an influx of Ca2+ ions induced by the combination of the Ca2+ ionophore A23187 and 100 microM CaCl2. When washed spermatozoa were cooled slowly to 15 degrees C, the percentage of progressive motile spermatozoa was about half that at 37 degrees C in 100 microM Ca(2+)-containing medium, while the capacity of the malate-aspartate shuttle remained equal to that at 37 degrees C. The motility decreased further at higher concentrations of Ca2+ ions. Spermatozoa in EGTA-containing medium barely moved at 15 degrees C and the capacity of the malate-aspartate shuttle decreased. Even in Ca(2+)-containing medium, LaCl3 caused a decrease in the capacity of the malate-aspartate shuttle at 15 degrees C. These results suggest that an influx of a low concentration of Ca2+ ions activates the malate-aspartate shuttle at 15 degrees C, with a subsequent increase in the proportion of cells that maintain progressive motility.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗

PubMed1993

Percutaneous nucleotomy in lumbar disc herniation. Patient selection and role in various treatments.

Patients in percutaneous nucleotomy who met our new criteria for patient selection in 1992 showed 73% successful results. The success rate was not satisfactory in comparison with that (88%) in the open surgery through posterior approach (herniotomy), however. The purpose of this report is to re-evaluate 70 patients with follow-up more than 2 years based on imaging and clinical findings before percutaneous nucleotomy. In results, supplementary criteria such as two types of the combination of computed tomography discogram and computed tomography myelogram, continuation of the contrast medium in lateral view of discogram, and clinical findings characterized by sciatic pain were obtained to improve the success rate. Eighty-one percent of patients who met the new criteria in 1992 and the supplementary criteria were identified in the successful group. The authors believe that percutaneous nucleotomy should be considered as an independent operative procedure with results similar to open surgery, if the patient is selected strictly based on these criteria and supplementary criteria.

Adult↗

PubMed1993

High frequency of etoposide (VP-16)-related secondary leukemia in children with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: We report patients who were treated for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) or Ki-1 antigen-positive (Ki-1) lymphoma with a T-8801 protocol that included etoposide (VP-16) and behenoylcytosine arabinoside. RESULTS: Secondary acute myeloid leukemia (AML) developed in 5 of 38 NHL and Ki-1 lymphoma patients, and the cumulative risk at 4 years was 18.4%. The median time from the initiation of the chemotherapy to the development of AML was 21 months (range, 13-30). Four patients had a FAB M5 morphology, and one had FAB M2. In four of five examined cases, chromosomal alterations involving the long arm of chromosome 11 were demonstrated at the time of development of AML. None of the 46 NHL patients who we treated with another protocol (B-8801), using significantly higher cumulative doses of VP-16 than in the case of the patients with T-8801 and a different schedule of VP-16 administration, developed secondary AML. CONCLUSIONS: The risk of secondary AML possibly related to the use of VP-16 given twice weekly.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1993

Difficulty in removing a percutaneous central venous catheter inserted from a peripheral vein.

Two girls with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) are reported. There were difficulties in removing their central venous catheters inserted from a peripheral vein. One girl required surgery under general anesthesia for the removal. The other patient received continuous infusion of low dose urokinase from a distal peripheral vein. The residual catheter was then removed successfully.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1993

Analysis of ploidy and sexual characteristics of natural isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans.

We report here an extensive examination of the ploidy of a basidiomycetous yeast. The ploidy of 34 strains of Cryptococcus neoformans var. neoformans, isolated mostly from Japanese patients, was determined by means of quantitative fluorescence microscopy after DNA staining with propidium iodide. The sexual characteristics of the strains including the two tester strains were as follows. Twenty-four strains were of the heterothallic alpha type, 1 was of the heterothallic a type, and 2 were self fertile; the remaining 7 showed no sexual response. The following strains were found to be haploid: the heterothallic a strain, 20 of the 24 heterothallic alpha strains, and 3 of the 7 asexual strains. Thus, the C. neoformans strains were mostly haploid, as the sexual response of this organism suggests. Both of the self-fertile strains and four of the seven asexual strains were diploid. Unexpectedly, 4 of the 24 heterothallic alpha strains were diploid.

Cryptococcus neoformans↗

PubMed1993

Effect of acupuncture at the right Hoku point on bilateral vibration-induced finger flexion reflex in man: comparison between in-situ and Sparrow Pecking technique.

The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of the Sparrow Pecking (SP) technique with that of the In-Situ (IS) technique of acupuncture on vibration-induced finger flexion reflex (VFR). Subjects were 30 healthy adults. VFR, flexion movement of the vibrated finger, was induced by vibrating the volar side of the middle finger tip. The acupuncture point was the right Hoku point. Both techniques of acupuncture inhibited VFR in the ipsilateral and contralateral sides, but inhibition with SP was significantly greater than that with IS (percentage control force of VFR, mean +/- SD: with SP right, 62.1 +/- 24.6%, left, 60.6 +/- 27.9%, with IS right, 74.9 +/- 26.6%, left, 78.1 +/- 29.5%, P < 0.0005). The results suggest that SP suppresses facilitation of VFR in the reflex arcs more than IS does.

Acupuncture Points↗

PubMed1993

Pulmonary sarcoidosis: correlation of CT and histopathologic findings.

PURPOSE: Computed tomographic (CT) findings of pulmonary sarcoidosis were correlated with histopathologic features determined at open lung biopsy or autopsy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eight patients (six men and two women, aged 22-65 years) with pulmonary sarcoidosis diagnosed at histologic examination were studied at CT with a high-spatial-frequency algorithm. RESULTS: The most frequent CT features were irregularly thickened bronchovascular bundles (seven of eight cases [88%]) and small nodules along vessels (four cases [50%]). These features corresponded to granulomas formed in the connective tissue sheath around the pulmonary vessels and airways. This characteristic CT appearance was the result of the bronchovascular distribution of sarcoid granulomas. Granulomas adjacent to the visceral pleura or formed in the pleura in four patients were correlated with pleural or subpleural involvement. Ground-glass attenuation, present in six patients (75%), did not correlate with alveolitis in any patient. CONCLUSION: CT is a valuable technique with which to visualize the characteristic location of sarcoid granulomas in the pulmonary parenchyma.

Adult↗